A 10-year-old New York City boy is accused by police of trying to burn down a local store so he could join a Brooklyn gang.
The boy, who reportedly lives with his family in a Brooklyn homeless shelter, was arrested on arson charges Wednesday. As part of an initiation into the Stone Crips, according to the New York Daily News, he allegedly set fire to merchandise inside a Deals discount store on Tuesday. It wasn't immediately clear how much damage the store sustained.
In addition, he and another boy around the same age were arrested on Monday for assaulting a 67-year-old woman in broad daylight, then snatching her purse. A 4-year-old boy who was with the boys witnessed the incident, according to CBS News.
Just after their release Tuesday, the 10-year-old headed straight for the Deals discount store to attempt to light it up, police told ABC7.
"He’s the worst kid in New York City, not just Brooklyn,” the suspect's neighbor told the Daily News.
The boy's aunt told the paper that he's a "good kid" who's hanging out with the wrong crowd.
According to ABC7, NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton called the child's crime spree "really troubling."
The boy was charged as a juvenile and was scheduled to appear in Family Court on Thursday.
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